After switching from the \'cantrang\' (seine net) to environmentally friendly fishing equipment, a number of fishing vessels from Central Java, have begun to set sail for eastern Indonesia.
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PATI, KOMPAS – After switching from the cantrang (seine net) to environmentally friendly fishing equipment, a number of fishing vessels from Pati regency, Central Java, have begun to set sail for eastern Indonesia, including to the Arafura Sea near the Aru Islands, Maluku. Although operating costs may have grown by nearly fourfold, the fishermen can also make big profits.
A Pati fishing vessel owner, Hadi Sutrisno, 39, who was contacted from Semarang on Sunday, said he did not use cantrang and had been using environmentally friendly fishing equipment such as gillnets and purse seines since early 2017.
He also shifted his catch area to the waters off the Aru Islands. Because of its distant location, the crew returned to Pati by plane.
"The boat drops anchor on the island every two months from the fishing ground. The skipper and the crew fly home to Jakarta or Surabaya every two to four months by plane from Dobo [the Aru Islands regency capital]. The harvested fish are delivered by ship to Surabaya, Probolinggo, Juwana and Jakarta," said Hadi.
Hadi, who owns five vessels, said the number of crew vary for each one. For vessels equipped with a gillnet, a crew may have 15 to 20 members, while those equipped with a purse seine have a crew of 45 to 50 people.
According to Hadi, this system was different from a cantrang vessel. When fishing in the Makassar Strait, for example, a cantrang ship returned every month to the fishing boat port in Bajomulyo, Juwana, Pati.
"Now, with the farther distance, the ship returns every six to 12 months for a permit extension," he said.
Hadi said that using a cantrang incurred operating costs of Rp 150 million to Rp 200 million. The longer distance and the use of a purse seine and gillnet incurred operation costs that were four times higher at around Rp 600 million.
About 70 percent of the fish caught in the Arafura Sea comprised of scaly fish, such as crimson snappers, groupers and red snappers. "Each shipment to Java is 30-40 tons at an average selling price of Rp 35,000 to Rp 40,000 per kilogram," said Hadi. This meant that the gross revenue for each shipment could be from Rp 1.05 billion to Rp 1.6 billion.
However, Hadi said, the catch in the Arafura Sea varied, depending on weather conditions, the type of fishing equipment used, and the relationship between the fishing crew and the boat captain.
More modern
Director general of capture fisheries Sjarief Widjaja at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, who was in Pati on Friday on a working visit, said that several ships with environmentally friendly fishing gear had shifted their fishing ground to Fishery Management Area 718 in the Arafura Sea.
According to Sjarief, about 1,200 ships were in Dobo from several regions in Java, such as Indramayu (West Java), Pati, Tegal (Central Java) and Probolinggo (East Java). "They harvest fish like red snappers. There are lot of fish out there," Sjarief added.
He said when the fishermen returned home, their ships were left at anchor in Dobo. Sailing the ships home would be too far and take be too long.
The distance from Dobo to the fishing ground was about 30 kilometers, or about four hours, and the catch was sent to Java by commercial ships.
Sjarief said the fact that many fishermen traveled by plane to Dobo showed that the today’s fishermen were more modernized. "It\'s a tremendous transformation of the fishermen. The fish are abundant there. Now, it is the government\'s duty to ensure there are enough commercial ships to transport the fish. We will increase the number of commercial ships," he said.
Siswo Purnomo, a Pati ship owner, said changing from a cantrang vessel to a vessel equipped with fishing rods or purse seines cost about Rp 3.5 billion. In addition to buying new fishing equipment, he also renovated the fish hold from using blocks of ice to a freezer.
According Siswo, the cantrang vessel cost about Rp 90 million to operate. "With a purse seine [vessel], for example, it can cost Rp 700 million for each seal. Therefore, the catch must be larger. Otherwise, we will lose money," he said.